Highway crossing signal



June 23, 1931. J. c. MOCK HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNAL 2 Sheefi-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1930 INVENTO MTTORMEY June 23,1931. J. c. MOCK 4 1,810,977

' HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNAL Filed Feb. 2a, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TEAINTF 7 INVENTOW BY @ATTgRNY I FIG-.2.

Patented June 23,1931

s- STATE JAMES c. MOCK, or nnrnomnrcnreen HIGHWAY onossme smith. 7

Application filed February 26, 1930'. Serial No. 43136165 This invention relates in general to high-' way crossing signals for use where highways cross'railway'tracks, and has more particular reference to a novel form of signal together with controlicircuits therefor.

The present invention relates to an im-- provement over that shown in my pending. application Serial Number 344,964 filed March 7 ,1929.

In highway crossing signals it is of the utmost importance not only to indicate to" those using the'highway adangerous 0011- dition, but also to indicate what-these conditions are. It is clear that a mereflashing mzlight signal, for example, fails to indicate from what direction a train is approaching the crossing, and whether or not there may be two trains simultaneously approaching from different directions. As a result of insufficient information with regard to the character ofvtlanger existing, accidents may occur. 1

With the above and other. considerations in mind, it is proposed, in accordancev with i the present invention, to provide'a highway crossing signal which not only will indicate when. dangerous conditions exist, but also will indicate exactly what these conditions are. Y 4 a More specifically, it is proposedto provide a signal which pictorially represents the actual danger condition existingv at the par: ticular moment, and whlch more certainly arrests attention by having various portions of the picture lighted up steadily, while. others are intermittently flashed.

- Further objects, purposes and character- Referring to the drawings,-; and first to.

' sort.

- nected to have an energizing circuit includ- Fig. l, there is here shown a double track line comprised of track rails .1, across which runs a highway 2, there beingdetector track circuits defined ,byinsulatedjoints 3; each circuit having a usual battery 4 connected across the rails at one end of the; circuit and a track relay 5 :or 6 connected acrossthe rails at' the'other end ofthe cir- Positioned at: the right side of the highway, at each-side of the railway tracks, are signals Sig and Sig/ for warning those'us ingthe highway of dangerous conditions at the crossing.

' The two signals-referred to are identical in-arra'ngement and controhand'according- 1y it isunnecessary to specifically describe more than oneof the signals, all-remarksap, plying to onesignaL likewise applying with equal force to the other'signal.

The signal Sig .is of a suitable size to readilybe seen and includes at-its top the usual legend Railroad crossing in letters painted ona background of any desirable Below the Railroad crossing, andformed-preferably of neon-or other gas tubes, so as to give an attention arresting illumie nated sign when energized, is the word Train? Belowfthe word Train, are two pictorial representations T0 and Tw of a moving'tra'in, facing in oppositedirections,

and each includinga headlight La and Lu;

and a representationvof smoke Se and Sw, all ofthese parts being preferably formed, as described in connection with the word. Train, of gas tubes for giving an arresting: illumination when energized. I v

Included in the system, as shown in Figs -1,- are two sets of cross connected flashing relays, one set comprising relays 7 and 8, 9??? and the other comprising relays 9 and 10; in each set one relay being connected to, have an energizing circuit running through a front point of the other, with the other coning a back point of the one, whereby, on energization, these relays alternately intermittently pick up an'd releasei V The system shown in Fig.1, and described above; operates in the following manner.

we i

Assuming an east bound train to be approaching the highway 2, on entering the track section of relay 5, this relay is shunted out to release its contact finger 11 to thereby place energy on the flashing relays 7 and 8 through wire 11 and also through wire 12, through the pictorial train Te tothereby energize Ta and pictoriallys'how on signal Sig a picture of a train outlined by illuminated tubes, with the pictorialrepresentation of the train pointing in the same direction as the actual train ing the crossing.

relays 7 and 8, relay 8 first picks up through a circuit including contact finger 14 and back point of relay 7 to thereby complete the energizing circuit forrelay '7 through a circuitincluding contact finger 11-and back point of: relay 5' and contact finger :13 and front point of relay 8. Shortly afterrelay 8 picks up, relay 7 picks up to break the energizing circuit for relay S at contact finger 14 and back point of relay 7, whereby the cycle 18 repeated so long as relay 5 remains down. Thus, with the flashing relays 7 and 8' energized, contact-fingers 15 and 16 of relay 7 intermittently pickup and release, contact finger 15 thereby intermittently energizing and deenergizing theword Train of signal Sig through a circuit including contact finger 15 and front point o'frelay 7.

Contact finger 16 of relay- 7 when'picked" up energizes in multiple, thesmoke Se and the headlight Le of the pictorially reprevsented eastbound train Te, through a circuit including contact finger 16 and front point of relay '7.

The various parts of signal Sig are connectedin multiple with the corresponding parts of signal Sig whereby in signal Sig the east bound train Te together with its" smoke and headlight Sc and L and the word Train are likewise illuminated It Wlll be observed from the above that the energization of the word l ra'in is intermittent, to give a flashing effect, and like- I wise is the pictorial representation of the smoke and of the headlight, while the energization of the train Te is steady, rather than flashing. It is also to be noted that west bound train T20 together with its smoke S10 ;and headlight Leo is notilluminat'ed by an east bound train on the east bound track.

In the case of a. west bound train approaching the crossing, and shunting out;

relay 6, a similar operation to what has just been described takes place except for'the fact that the pictorial reprcsentationof the west bound train T20 is illuminated, to there by faithfully and accurately represent, not only the dangerous condition, but exactly what constitutes f the danger. .The word Train is, however, illuminated'in this case which is approachi crossing. As soon as energy is placed on theflashing r 21 and back tract the attention of one approaching the V In the case of a west bound train the same illumination occurs with regard to the word Train together; with the corresponding illumination of the pictorially represented west bound train, together. with'its smoke i and headlight.

If'there be simultaneous approach tojthe crossing of both an eastbound and a west bound train, then the entire-signal is illuminated, y Y

lVith the above type of signal andcontrol means,.it is quite out of the question for one approaching the crossing, to-wait until an east bound train has cleared thecrossing and then deliberately cross over. to

be struck by a west bound train at the cross mg, 1n the manner whlch might occur with the present highway crossing signals.

1 In Fig. 2 is shown a slightly modified form I of the invention wherein a single set of flashing relays is employed, and is represent ed diagrammatically by the enclosed square entitled Flasher. In this form, the single flasher is energized when either of the track circuit relays 18 or' 19 .is shunted out by the presence of a train approaching the crossing, whereby'in either case the single flasher is energized to'place intermittently. interrupted energyon the word Train of the signals, through. contact finger 20 and front point of the flasher. Likewise the outline of the train corresponding to the actual approach 7 train is steadily illuminated through a circuit, in the case of an east bound train, which includes contact finger point of relay 18, and wires 24, 25 and 26. I V

The smoke and headlight of the illuminated train, assuming for example the proach of an east bound train, is energized intermittently through a circuit including contact finger 22 and front point of the flasher, and contact finger 23 and back point of relay 18.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 2, one of the sets of flashing relays employed in the form of Fig. 1, is eliminated, while an additional contact finger is added to each of the track circuit relays l8 and 19.

In each form of the'invention described, therefore, an accurate pictorialrepresentation, in an arrestingly illuminated form, of

the actual danger conditions existing, is displayed to one on the highway 2, when approaching the railroad tracks from either side.

train is intermittently illuminated to give a flashing effect. a

The above rather specific description of two forms of the present invention is given solely by way of illustration, and is not intended, inany manner whatsoever, in a limiting sense. Obviously, the invention can assume many different physical forms, and

is susceptible of numerous modifications, and all such forms and modifications are intended to be included in this appplication, as

come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described my invention, I now claim 1. In a signalling system for highway crossings where a highway crosses a railroad track, a signal including illuminablepictorial representations of trains facing in opposite directions, circuits for selectively illuminating said representations, and control means for said circuits, automatically responsive to trafiic conditions, to illuminate that representation corresponding to actual approaching danger.

2. In a signalling system for highway crossings where a highway crosses a railroad track, a signal including illuminable pictorial representations of trains facing in opposite direct-ions, each representationIof a train including illuminable smoke and head light, circuits for selectively illuminating aid representations and including intermittent interrupting means in certain of said circuits, and control means for said circuits automatically responsive to trafiic conditions to illuminate that train representation corre' sponding to actual approaching danger. 3. In combination, a stretch of track crossed by a highway, a crossing signal at the intersection and including pictorial illuminable representations or" two trains facing in opposite directions and parallel to the track, and means, on approach of a train on said track to said highway, to illuminate only that representation corresponding in direction to that of the approaching train.

4. In combination, a stretch of track crossed'by a highway, a crossing signal at the intersection and including pictorial illuminable representations of two trains facing in opposite directions and parallel to the track, "each representation including an out-f line-of a train, and a headlight onthe train, a

representation of two trains, facing each other thereon, and each having a headlight, and smoke issuing therefrom.

6. In combination with a highway crossing, a railroad track, a highway crossing signal having a background, the word Train, in illuminahle characters on the background, the illuminable pictorial representation of two trains, facing each other on the background and each having a headlight, and smoke issuing therefrom,-an energizing circuit for the word Train, an energizing circuitfor each train representation, and an energizing circuit for each set of headlight and smoke associated with each.

. representation.

7 In combination with a highway crossing, a railroad track, a hi 'hway crossing signal having a background, the word- Trainv in illuminable characters on the background, the illuminable pictorial representation of two trains on the background, facing each other, and each having aheadllght, and smoke issuing theretrom, an energizing circuit for the word Train, an

energizing circuit foreach train representation, and an energizing circuit for each set of headlight and smoke associated with each representation, and interrupting means in the T'rain circuit,and the smoke and headlight circuit.

8. In combination with a highway crossing, a railroad track,,a highway'crossing signal having a 7 background, the word Train in theilluininable characters on the background, the illuminable pictorial representation of two trains on the background, facing each other, and each having a hea'd-' light, and smoke issuing therefrom, an energizing circuit for the word Train, an energizing circuit for eachtrain representation, an. energizing circuit, for each set of headlight and smoke associated with each representation, interrupting means in the Train ircuits and the smoke and head light circuits, and automatic control means;

80 v background andthe illumina'ble pictorial" the crossing regardless 0f therdirectioii of V approach of the train, an'd'for illuminating.

only that'pictorial representation of a train that corresponds in direction to that of the actual train approaching the crossing.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' JAMES c. MOOK. 

